Saturday, May 31, 2014

The Genre of Horror

My wife was teaching a literature class and she was discussing Poe's work as an early example of horror. Some of the students wondered why they needed to read this genre. She asked me to speak for a few minutes on why we need this type of literature. I read some in the work of Brian Godawa. His essay "A Theology of Horror Movies" was originally published in Chalcedon Journal (May and June, 2002) and can be found online. I also came across his piece An Apologetic of Horror after I shared with the students.

Part of what I tried to do was to show that the Bible itself contains images of horror. I looked at the following passages: Jeremiah 9.20-22; Ezekiel 9.1-11 (esp. vv. 5-8); Ezekiel 16.1-43; Revelation 14.9-12, 14-20. Many of these are set in the context of idolatry. We grow comfortable with our God-dishonoring ways and the biblical portrait of the radical evil of rejecting the living God is needed. There are also a number of texts speaking about cannibalism: Deuteronomy 28.53; 2 Kings 6.28-29; Jeremiah 19.9; Lamentations 2.20; 4.10; Ezekiel 5.10. I also spoke of a few texts in Proverbs linking illicit sex with the images of destruction: Proverbs 7.1-27; 9.13-18.

The prophet Daniel wrote horror literature, based on images and drama pitched by God to him in Babylon. Not only did God turn the blaspheming king Nebuchadnezzar into an insane wolfman to humble his idolatrous pride (Dan. 4), but He storyboarded horror epics for kings Belshazzar and Darius as allegories of the historical battle between good and evil to come. Huge hybrid carnivorous monsters come out of the sea like Godzilla, one of them with large fangs and ravishing claws to devour, crush, and trample over the earth (7:1–8) until it is slain and its flesh roasted in fire (7:11); there are blasphemous sacrileges causing horror (8:13), including an abomination of desolation (9:26–27); angels and demons engaging in spiritual warfare (10:13); rivers of fire (7:10); deep impact comets and meteors colliding with the earth, Armageddon style (8:10); wars, desolation, and complete destruction (9:26-27). The book of Daniel reads like God’s own horror film festival.

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The book of Revelation is an epic horror fantasy sequel to Daniel, complete with science fiction special effects, and spectacles of horror darker than anything in a David Cronenberg Grand Guignol theater of blood. In this apocalyptic prophecy we read of a huge demonic spectacle of genetically mutated monsters chasing and tormenting scream ing people (9:1–11); armies of bizarre beasts wreaking death and destruction on the masses (9:13–18); a demonic dragon chasing a woman with the intent to eat her child (12:3–4); a seven-headed amphibious Hydra with horns that blasphemes God and draws pagan idol worship from everyone on earth (13:1–10); massive famines (6:8); gross outbreaks of rotting sores covering people’s bodies (16:2); plagues of demonic insects torturing populations (9:1–11); fire-breathing Griffon-like creatures (9:17); supernatural warfare of angels and demons (12:7); the dragging of rotting corpses through the streets while people party over them (11:7–13); rivers and seas of blood (14:20; 16:3); a blaspheming harlot doing the deed with kings and merchants (17:1-5) who then turn on her, strip her naked, burn her with fire, and cannibalize her (17:16); more famines, pestilence, and plagues (18:8); and when the good guys win, there is a mighty feast of vultures scavenging the flesh of kings and commanders in victory (19:17–18). And I might add, this all gives glory to God in the highest.